CovebornTideborn #2
Kyros jolts, and wide, crimson-speckled eyes meet my blue ones.
“Sadie…” Kyros frowns, his eyebrows pulling together. “You don’t know what you’re—”
“Don’t you dare tell me I don’t know what I’m asking for.”
“But you—”
“Fuck the Coveborn. Do it.”
Kyros blows out a breath and looks upward, almost like he finds me a nuisance. I hope he does. He deserves to be inconvenienced after everything he’s put me through.
When he looks back down, his expression has softened. He leans close to me, continuing until his lips brush my ear, tickling the sensitive skin.
“I initiated the marking process by rubbing my scent on you, Sadie…” he explains. “To make it official, I’d have to also put it in you.”
I chew on my bottom lip. “And how would you go about that?”
“My marking fluid is produced in my pocket.”
I shut my eyes. “Your pocket?”
“Yes.”
“What… What pocket?”
“Where my cock lives.”
I open my mouth.
Shut it.
Open it again.
Kyros continues before I find words. “Marking is historically done through sex. My fluid will coat my cock, and it will enter you when I enter you.”
I’m going to need an anatomy book because what the fuck.
Daros shifts, his cerulean-speckled eyes darting between the two remaining Coveborn. The dead one still drifts between us.
I briefly lock eyes with my uncle.
Mother-murdering bastard.
I turn back to Kyros. “Can you scoop some up and place it inside me?”
Kyros chokes on water. “Excuse me?”
“Can you scoop your fluid out of your pocket and put it inside me with a finger or something?” I explain. “I’m not looking to fuck in front of all these people.”
“I mean…theoretically yes, but—”
“Then do it.”
He flinches. “Are you sure?”
Kyros searches my face, like he expects me to panic and take it back. Maybe I should. Maybe agreeing to magical fish-mating rituals out of spite isn’t the healthiest decision I’ve ever made.
But my uncle is looking at me like he’s already won.
And Kyros—despite all his secrets and terrible decisions—came for me.
I straighten my spine. “Yes. I’m sure.”
Kyros coils his tail around my legs and spins, shielding me with his torso. I’m not sure why I’m agreeing to this. The easy answer is because I’m angry with the Coveborn and I’m certain this will piss them off.
The real answer is that I’m selfish and want the connection with Kyros.
I hardly know the man. It’s been less than a week, but there’s something about him that’s just…stuck to me. I’m drawn to him—more so than I’ve ever been to anybody else. I want to know what this bond between us will be like.
My feelings for him are stronger than my revulsion toward his actions.
Even though I know they shouldn’t be.
“I’ll be fast,” Kyros promises.
He shifts me in his arms, wincing slightly when he moves his shoulders just right. His back is still bleeding, and I can only imagine the pain he’s in right now.
Still, he came for me.
He presses his forehead against mine as his hand slips between my thighs. I draw in a shaky breath, trembling as he presses one thick finger inside me. His entire body flares, turning him into a flaming beacon of crimson.
I’m not sure what I’m expecting. A tingle or something, maybe, but there’s nothing of the sort. Kyros works his finger in and out of me twice, then pulls out.
He uncoils his tail, releasing me.
I smack my lips. “Is that all?”
“Yes.”
His red veining flickers but doesn’t dull. I fight the urge to drag my finger along the lines. Nothing feels different. No cosmic shift or magical soul-bonding moment. Honestly, it’s a little disappointing, considering everything that’s just happened.
At least Kyros is affected. His jaw is tight and his breathing uneven. The crimson beneath his skin pulses in slow, unstable waves.
He turns toward my uncle. She is Tideborn.
My adrenaline fades, leaving behind anxious uncertainty. Has this worked?
My uncle looks furious, his face tinting a light shade of red. It’s the only reaction he gives, but it’s incredibly telling. I’ve ruined his plans. Good.
She’s a hybrid, he spits out. He works his jaw from side to side. An abomination.
Kyros doesn’t look the least bit affected. She’s Tideborn’s abomination, then.
I press my lips together. Alrighty.
My uncle and the ugly one linger for a moment, then dive into the nearest current and swim away. They vanish within seconds, their near-black tails blending seamlessly with the dark ocean. They leave the dead Mer behind.
Kyros and the other Tideborn remain.
“An abomination?” I ask.
Kyros shrugs. “My abomination.”
“Fuck you.”
A low, slightly pained chuckle erupts from his chest before he pulls us into a current, the others quick to follow. I listen to the sound of the rushing water and the uneven rhythm of Kyros’s breathing. He continues to flicker crimson, occasional bursts that catch me off guard.
What’s he thinking? Does he regret it?
His tail coils tighter around me as we twist out of the Great Current and dive into another running alongside it. Over Kyros’s shoulder, I watch the others do the same.
It’s several minutes before Tideborn comes into view, the spiraling towers a welcome sight. Above us, the massive animals that patrol the city circle lazily through the water. Their bodies are long and pale, almost eel-like, with fins that shimmer silver in the filtered light.